Japanese submarine Ro-113
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 404 |
| Builder | Kawasaki, Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 11 July 1942 |
| Renamed | Ro-113 on 5 February 1943 |
| Launched | 24 April 1943 |
| Completed | 12 October 1943 |
| Commissioned | 12 October 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk by USS Batfish, 13 February 1945 |
| Stricken | 10 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ro-100-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 60.90 m (199 ft 10 in) overall |
| Beam | 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Draft | 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Crew | 38 |
| Armament |
|
Ro-113 was an
Design and description
The Ro-100 class was a medium-sized, coastal submarine derived from the preceding Kaichū type. They displaced 611 tonnes (601 long tons) surfaced and 795 tonnes (782 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 60.9 meters (199 ft 10 in) long, had a beam of 6 meters (19 ft 8 in) and a draft of 3.51 meters (11 ft 6 in). They had a double hull and a diving depth of 75 meters (246 ft).[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 500-
The boats were armed with four internal bow 53.3 cm (21.0 in)
Construction and commissioning
Ro-113 was
Service history
October 1943–May 1944
Upon commissioning, Ro-113 was attached to the
On 31 January 1944, Ro-113 was reassigned to Submarine Division 30.
First war patrol
On 8 June 1944, Ro-113 departed Saipan to begin her first war patrol, ordered to join a submarine patrol line north of New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago.[4] She received orders on 14 June 1944 to move to a new patrol area north of Guam,[4] and on 16 June 1944 she was reassigned to Patrol Unit C along with the submarines Ro-114, Ro-115, and Ro-117.[4] Ordered on 22 June 1944 to return to base, she arrived at Truk on 27 June 1944.[4]
July–August 1944
On 10 July 1944, Ro-113 departed Truk bound for Sasebo, Japan, which she reached on 17 July 1944.[4] On 15 August 1944, Submarine Division 51 was disbanded, and Ro-113 and Ro-115 were reassigned directly to Submarine Squadron 8 in the 6th Fleet.[4] Ro-113 departed Kure on 7 September 1944 and headed for Penang in Japanese-occupied British Malaya, arriving there on 27 September 1944[4] for operations in the Indian Ocean.
Second war patrol
Ro-113 got underway from Penang on 25 October 1944 to begin her second war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the
Third war patrol
Ro-113 began her third war patrol on 28 November 1944, again tasked with attacking Allied shipping in the Bay of Bengal.
Fourth war patrol
Ro-113 began her fourth war patrol on 20 January 1945, departing Penang, pausing briefly at
Loss
Ro-113 was on the surface in the Luzon Strait in the vicinity of Babuyan Island north of Luzon in the predawn darkness of 13 February 1945 when the U.S. Navy submarine USS Batfish (SS-310) detected her on radar at 02:15 bearing 220 degrees from Batfish at a range of 10,700 yards (9,780 m).[4] Batfish lost contact at 02:41 at a range of 7,150 yards (6,540 m) when Ro-113 submerged.[4]
At 03:10, Ro-113 surfaced and Batfish′s radar detector picked up her radar emissions.[4] Batfish also detected her on radar at a range of 9,800 yards (9,000 m) bearing 336 degrees from Batfish.[4] At 04:12, Batfish submerged to radar depth along Ro-113′s track with Ro-113 6,800 yards (6,200 m) yards away and closing.[4] At 04:48, Batfish fired three torpedoes from her stern torpedo tubes for a 1,500-yard (1,400 m) run to their target.[4] At 04:49, the first torpedo hit Ro-113, creating a large yellow fireball and blowing her apart.[4] Ro-113 sank with all hands at 19°10′N 121°23′E / 19.167°N 121.383°E, going under so quickly that Batfish′s second and third torpedoes missed.[4]
On 20 February 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared Ro-113 to be presumed lost in the Luzon Strait with all 59 men on board.[4] The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on 10 May 1945.[4]
Notes
- ^ Carpenter & Dorr, p. 123
- ^ Chesneau, p. 204
- ^ Bagnasco, p. 193
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2016). "IJN Submarine RO-113: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (1 August 2016). "IJN Submarine I-184: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
References
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Carpenter, Dorr B. & Polmar, Norman (1986). Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904–1945. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-396-6.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2016). "IJN Submarine RO-113: Tabular Record of Movement". SENSUIKAN! Stories and Battle Histories of the IJN's Submarines. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1945 | |
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